The NWFP Assembly on Tuesday given a two-day deadline to the Peshawar Electricity Supply Company (Pesco) to stop the massive power load-shedding, and announce a formal schedule if it is really so necessary. The matter was raised by MPA Javid Khan Momand of MMA from a rural constituency of district Peshawar through a point of order, while Mian Nadir Shah and Maulana Amanat Shah from district Mardan also supported their colleague.
They said that due to unprecedented power load-shedding people throughout the province are protesting against it.
Maulana Amanat Shah while criticising the massive load-shedding, said that the company is giving no worth to the resolutions passed by the house. He suggested to the member of the house to stage a demo against the treatment given by the company to them.
Bashir Ahmad Bilour, parliamentary leader of ANP, called for a protest march towards Wapda House in Peshawar, saying that Leader of the House, Akram Khan Durrani, or Senior Minister Siraj-ul-Haq should lead the demo of the public representatives of the province. "There is no difficulty for the provincial government as we already have such precedent of first US attack on Iraq," Bilour added.
Deputy Speaker Ikramullah Shahid, who was presiding the session, sought the stand of the provincial government over the issue.
Giving the provincial government's stand, NWFP Minister for Food and Excise & Taxation Fazal Rabbani supported the stand of the members, saying the load-shedding is creating law and order problem in the province.
He said that Federal Minister for Water & Power Liaquat Ali Jatoi, Minister of State Amir Muqaam and Pesco Chief Executive Brigadier Tahir Saeed Malik (Retd) are not accepting load-shedding but calling it only load-management.
He demanded of Pesco to announce a formal schedule of the load-shedding, saying the Assembly had already passed a resolution calling for end to the load-shedding. However, he said that the company is giving no weightage to it.
He welcomed the suggestion of the staging a demo saying that the provincial government is strongly condemning the load-shedding.
Maulana Asmatullah, another provincial minister, suggested the holding of a hunger strike camp.
Giving ruling on the matter, the chair said that the company would be given a deadline to two days to stop the unjustified power load-shedding. Otherwise, he said the member of the house would have to take out a protest demo against the company.
Later, Pir Mohammad Khan of MMA presented Public Accounts Committee (PAC) Report on Audited Report of 1997-98. The house after holding a heated debate approved it with a pledge that such reports should be presented in the house so late.
In debate on Supplementary Budget 2004-06, Abdul Akbar Khan of PPP-Parliamentarian criticised the provincial government for presenting largest supplementary budget in the history of the province. In support of his contentions, he said that in all democratic states the size of the supplementary budget use to be minimum.
He said that the finance minister has talked about strict financial management in his budget speech, but the presentation of the record large-sized supplementary budget speaks the volume of his adherence to his words.
Others, who spoke on the supplementary budget, were opposition leader Shehzada Gustasip Khan, Bashir Ahmad Bilour (ANP), Rukshana (MMA), Zar Gul (PML-Q), Qalandar Lodhi and Yasmin Khalid (MMA).
In reply to the points of the opposition, Senior Minister Siraj-ul-Haq, in his speech, said that constitution allows them to present supplementary budget, saying that there was no government in the history of the province, which had not presented it.
He said that last year increase in the salaries and allowances of the government employees, special programs of Rs 1.2 billion, access to justice program Rs 127 million, lining of canals Rs 700 million, and education program of Rs 166 million necessitated the presentation of such huge supplementary budget.
The senior minister, who also holds the portfolio of finance in provincial cabinet, mentioned extra spending on police, home department and flood affectees. Similarly, he said that an amount of Rs 17.1 million was spent on ad hoc relief activities in the prisons of the province, including the provision of Rs 2.7 million to the staff of the newly-constructed prison in Bannu.
He said that out of 1,198 development schemes, 378 have been completed, 115 roads schemes were completed, including the construction of 105 roads in 20 districts. For next financial year, he said that they would try to avoid supplementary budget and complete the development schemes in the already approved expenditures.
Reaffirming the government resolve on provincial rights, he said: "We would never compromise on our provincial rights, and continue our joint struggle till achievement of these rights."